Find out how popular the last name Yancy is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Yancy.

Yancy, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Yancy surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Yancy in America

Yancy is the 7580th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Yancy surname appeared 4,384 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Yancy.

We can also compare 2010 data for Yancy to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Yancy

The surname Yancy is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English personal name "Ēanċing," which means "one who is bold or daring." This name was commonly found in regions such as Surrey, Kent, and Essex.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Yancy can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Eancinge." This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, served as a comprehensive record of landholdings and population across England.

Over time, the name underwent various spelling variations, including Yancey, Yancy, Yancye, and Yancye. Some of these variations were influenced by regional dialects and pronunciation differences.

In the 13th century, a record from the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire mentions a Richard Yancy, indicating the presence of the surname in that region during that period.

Notable individuals bearing the Yancy surname include Sir John Yancy (1555-1621), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers. He played a significant role in establishing trade routes with the Ottoman Empire.

Another prominent figure was William Yancy (1782-1842), an American politician and lawyer from South Carolina. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and advocated for states' rights and nullification.

In the literary world, Samuel Yancy Atkinson (1841-1903) was an American writer and educator from North Carolina. He authored several works, including "The Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers" and "The Pedagogue's Manual."

The surname Yancy also has connections to place names. For instance, Yancey County in North Carolina is named after a prominent local family that bore this surname.

Another noteworthy individual was Robert Yancy Hayne (1791-1839), an American politician and lawyer from South Carolina. He served as a United States Senator and was a staunch advocate for states' rights and nullification, often clashing with Daniel Webster on these issues.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Yancy

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Yancy.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Yancy was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Yancy has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Yancy was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Yancy, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!